NBA Draft Rumors: Duke's Wendell Carter Jr. Warrants Consideration to Be a Top-5 Pick

Most mock drafts have Carter being selected behind a quartet of big men and two perimeter-oriented players

By John Paul Sunico, Christian Post Contributor Monday, June 18, 2018

This year's prospect pool for the NBA Draft is full of high-upside big men.

Despite elite teams in the modern NBA relying on smallball more often during crucial stretches of games, it is clear that that franchises still highly value big men who can be dominant forces on both ends of the floor.

For this year, the talented big men come in the form of Arizona's DeAndre Ayton, Texas' Mohamed Bamba, Michigan State's Jaren Jackson Jr. and Duke's Marvin Bagley III.

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However, there's another Duke big who should be getting more attention as a potential top-5 pick in this year's draft, with that being Wendell Carter Jr.

According to a recent edition of the Consensus Mock Draft posted on NBA.com, Carter is currently the most popular selection with the eighth pick in the draft.

Being drafted eighth overall would be a remarkable accomplishment for any player, but for Carter, it seems a bit low.

Carter may not wow fans with any one particular skill, but as an anonymous scout recently told The New York Post, people are going to wonder why he wasn't top-3 or top-4 pick considering just how NBA-ready he already is at this point.

Carter's not a big-time scorer, but he can still put up points when asked to, and he's also got a good touch from range and from the free throw line. He's also a willing passer who will keep the offense going and not slow things down with constant post-up attempts.

Defensively, Carter's also shown a feel for protecting the rim, and he's pretty good at boxing out and gathering loose balls as well.

Carter's upside may not go as high as the ones that belong to an Ayton or a Bamba, but he's such a sure thing that he warrants consideration to be a top-5 pick anyway.

If a team picking in the top-5 wants a player who can be relied upon right from day one, they may want to spend a lot of time considering the case for Carter.